CHICAGO, IL – Looking to snap a rough patch of conference games, the North Park men's basketball team hosted the Pioneers of Carroll University on Wednesday night.

The Vikings trailed early in the first few minutes of the game, as three-point shots fell by the wayside.

Billy Kirby broke the shutout with a pull-up jumper in traffic and followed it up with a perfect three-shot trip to the line to narrow the Pioneer lead to 11-5.

Following a Josh Washburn three, North Park found themselves a shot away from tying the game.

However, Carroll went on an 11-2 run and reestablished a comfortable lead over North Park; 22-12.

Keeping themselves in the game thanks to six perfect trips to the line, North Park yearned for a scoring streak of their own.

Senior guard Colin Lake was the spark for the Vikings through the remainder of the half, totaling 9 points, an assist, and swiping a pass. He was 4-6 from the field and 1-2 beyond the arc.

Unfortunately, threes rained down for the Pioneer offense and they sustained their double-digit lead; 36-24 at halftime.

Opening the second half up with a bang, Lake stayed hot with a three in front of his own bench, converted on the extra shot, and scored two possessions later in the lane.

North Park 30, Carroll 38.

Despite a big three from Matt Szuba, the Pioneers seemed to respond with a basket of their own every possession.

Trailing by 16, North Park needed to disrupt the Pioneers' rhythm.

The Vikings threatened once more after Matt Szuba knocked down 2 threes and Antonio Gardner added one of his own.

Yet, the Pioneers continued to pick the pockets of the Vikings and led a dominant 70-50 lead.

Unable to stop the Carroll attack, North Park fell 66-84.

Standout Players

• Matt Szuba had a career-high 19 points and 7 boards in the contest. He was 4-10 beyond the arc and a perfect 5-5 from the charity stripe.
• Colin Lake re-emerged tonight, scoring 17 points and swiping 3 passes
• Josh Washburn came off the bench adding 9 points 

What's Next?

North Park basketball has a long stretch of away games, starting with CCIW's top team Illinois Wesleyan this coming Saturday. The Titans recently played Elmhurst College, handling them with a score of 93-76.